The first disc contains the
entire first set. “Cold Rain And Snow” is always a good opener, and Jerry
Garcia’s voice sounds really good here. The energy builds well toward the end.
Bob Weir then keeps things going with a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land,”
with Brent Mydland delivering some nice stuff on keys. At this point, Brent had
been with the band for a few years, though still, from what I understand, felt
like the new guy. This version gets a bit messy, but is still pretty good. For
me, things start getting exceptional with “Candyman.” This is a beautiful and
interesting rendition, with Jerry on top of things musically, vocally,
emotionally. And Bob matches him vocally on “C.C. Rider,” which follows. This
is a seriously good rendition, in large part because of Bob’s vocal
performance. And Jerry’s guitar sounds wonderful. Plus, they let the groove
stretch out a bit. This is not a song I usually consider all that much, but
this version is making me take another, closer look. This is certainly one of
the best versions I’ve heard the band do.
They follow that with a damn
good “Brown-Eyed Women.” Just listen to Jerry sing the “Daddy made whiskey and he made it well” verse. Excellent! Hell,
even the pair of “Mama Tried” into “Mexicali Blues” has a certain flair. The
band is on. “Big Railroad Blues” seems the natural choice to follow those two
songs, flowing well thematically, and this is a good, rockin’ version. Bob then
slows things down for a pretty and passionate rendition of “Looks Like Rain,”
with some unusual stuff toward the end, making this a version worth paying
attention to. That’s followed by an energetic “Jack-A-Roe.” The first set is
rounded out with two more rockin’ numbers, “It’s All Over Now” and “Might As
Well.”
The second disc contains more
than half of the second set, as well as a portion of the first set from the
April 5th show. Yeah, it’s set up weirdly. I understand and appreciate that
they don’t want to break up that post-“Space” section, and I’m happy to have
this music from the night before, but I would have put it on a fourth disc
rather than sticking it in the middle of the second set. Because
basically you need to take this disc out after “Space” and put the third disc
in, and then return to the rest of this disc later. Anyway, the second set opens with “Shakedown
Street,” which features a good, groovy jam. I dig that vocal jam, and
especially that interplay between Jerry and Brent, a bit of call and response.
That ends up being one of the highlights of the show. The band follows that
with an okay “Lost Sailor” straight into a pretty good version of “Saint Of
Circumstance.” “Terrapin Station” is really good, but oddly mellow, right? And
for just a moment do they dip into “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”? Wild. “Terrapin”
slides into the “Drums/Space” segment. “Drums” is quite good, becoming a beast
at times, exploring interesting peaks and valleys, and sometimes becoming
almost hypnotic. As “Drums” becomes “Space,” the drummers remain on stage for a
short time, which is cool. This is kind of an intriguing “Space,” certainly one
of the better ones I’ve heard.
And that’s where the second
disc should end. But we’re treated to a few tunes from the first set of the
previous night. Though the music is good, it is jarring to be ripped out of the
middle of one show and deposited into another. The more I think about it, the
more I realize it’s a terrible idea to include this music. It would have been
better to just not include it at all rather than break up the flow of the
second set. That being said, the three songs are “Deep Elem Blues,” from the
middle of the first set, and “Althea” and “Man Smart, Woman Smarter,” which
concluded the first set that night. “Deep Elem Blues” is a lot of fun, a jaunty
rendition. This is a nice, relaxed “Althea.” And “Man Smart, Woman Smarter” is
designed to get us all dancing.
The third disc then takes us back
to the second set of April 6th, as “Truckin’” emerges from “Space,” with Bob
Weir blowing that whistle. A moment of forgotten lyrics, and then a bizarrely
changed lyric – the line “Living on reds,
vitamin C and cocaine” switched to “Ever
since she went and had her sex change.” Very strange. This is a fairly
short “Truckin’,” without any jam to speak of, leading straight into an even
shorter “The Other One.” It’s wild, but includes just one verse – the second
one. And just as suddenly we’re into “Morning Dew.” This is an excellent
version of “Morning Dew,” with Jerry’s voice sounding wonderful. It’s an
incredibly moving rendition, getting delicate toward the end before building in
power at its conclusion. This is definitely another of the show’s highlights.
The second set then ends with “Sugar Magnolia.” The encore is a sweet and
beautiful “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” concluding the show with another
highlight.
The third disc then includes
the first half of the second set from the night before, beginning with “Bertha,”
which has something of an abrupt ending. That’s followed by a fantastic “Playing
In The Band,” with a jam that gets into some interesting territory. It eases
into a nice “Ship Of Fools,” and then into a “Playing In The Band” jam. Great
stuff. I wish this release had a fourth disc with the complete second set,
particularly as the band goes back into “Playing” again after “The Wheel,” so
the segment contained on this disc feels incomplete.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Cold Rain And Snow >
- Promised Land
- Candyman
- C.C. Rider
- Brown-Eyed Women
- Mama Tried >
- Mexicali Blues
- Big Railroad Blues
- Looks Like Rain
- Jack-A-Roe
- It’s All Over Now
- Might As Well
- Shakedown Street >
- Lost Sailor >
- Saint Of Circumstance >
- Terrapin Station >
- Rhythm Devils >
- Space
- Deep Elem Blues
- Althea
- Man Smart, Woman Smarter
- Truckin’ >
- The Other One >
- Morning Dew >
- Sugar Magnolia
- It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
- Bertha
- Playing In The Band >
- Ship Of Fools >
- Playing In The Band
Road Trips Vol. 4 No. 4: Spectrum 4-6-82 was released on September
1, 2017 through Real Gone Music.
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